G5 Sahel: Idriss Déby reaffirms his desire to keep his men in Chad

Chadian President Idriss Déby at the G5 Sahel summit, June 30, 2020. Ludovic Marin / Pool via REUTERS

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President Idriss Deby reiterated during the last G5 Sahel summit that he plans to keep all his armed forces on Chad for the time being. A questioning of the deployment of a battalion in the area of ​​the three borders, promised after the meeting of Pau in January, and again requested at the end of April by its partners. But the head of state says that the security situation is not assured in his country.

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“  The threat around Lake Chad remains persistent with the rising waters. Any projection out of the territory should not be at the expense of Chad's security  , "said Idriss Déby at the G5 Sahel summit held in recent days in Nouakchott.

Already on April 10, the Head of State had assured that "  no Chadian soldier will participate [it] in a military operation outside Chad  ". At the end of March, the battalion of 480 men promised to its partners was on the way to the "three borders". But these men were recalled for the "Bohoma anger" operation, a response to the attack by Boko Haram which left a hundred soldiers dead on March 23.

If the final communiqué of the G5 summit declares that the Lake Chad area is "  a second persistent front" , France, however, continues to believe that the promise will be kept.

Mercenary rebels returning from Libya?

Specialists nevertheless question the motivations of Idriss Déby. What is the real situation in Lake Chad? Does the Chadian president seek to obtain more compensation for this deployment, in the midst of an economic crisis?

Does he fear the return of mercenary rebels from Libya? Several hundred fighters are said to have already returned to southern Libya after the Haftar camp ebbed, when others hired by the government of national unity (GNA) were no longer paid and could do the same.

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  • Chad
  • Idriss Déby Itno
  • Defense
  • G5 Sahel
  • Terrorism

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